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3D Printed Investment Casting Patterns in Formula One Racing

October 2, 2017

Renault Sport Formula One Team has been using 3D printing within its engineering workflow since 1998 to bring designs out of minds and into testing without wasting its most precious and limited resource: time. Home to several 3D printing technologies, the team makes significant use of 3D Systems stereolithography (SLA), and has expanded the number of applications this technology serves in parallel with larger growth trends in additive manufacturing.

Already tasked with feeding the voracious appetite of the team’s wind tunnel with rapid prototyping, SLA is increasingly being used to help Renault Sport Formula One deliver, test and evolve end-use metal parts using 3D printed investment casting patterns. Taking advantage of 3D Systems QuickCast® methodology, these patterns follow the same casting process as conventionally produced wax patterns, but can be produced overnight with no added time or cost for pattern variety. This allows more designs to be tested faster, which helps to accelerate the team’s engineering and development process.

Within the Formula One racing environment, the versatility of 3D printed casting patterns enables significant benefits, not only in speed of delivery, but in design complexity as well. 3D printing helps the team reduce part weight and deliver more efficient designs to unlock even greater performance on the car. Check out the video below for more information.